Paths
by Lionus
Summary: Over hundreds of nights and between all of the countless wars, after protecting and patching each other up, their team formed a bond that soon sealed an unspoken pact. They would tirelessly do good in this world. Together. (Council series)


**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail.

 **A/N:** there's an f-bomb at the end?

* * *

Gajeel wasn't a stranger to anger, even with his Phantom days long, _long_ behind him - sometimes the infectious rage just felt amplified after joining Fairy Tail since camaraderie ran high among them and all that - and becoming a different person only made it that much _more_ palpable and there. For not a good enough reason, anywhere from 50 to 75 people had their entire living yanked out from under them and were expected to scatter for the four winds without so much as a challenging word to the man that had made the call. Not to mention the families of those now unemployed guild mates.

His vision swam for a moment when he recalled the first breaths of reaction passing through the guild hall. Asuka wound her fingers in a death grip on her mother's vest and tried to make sense of something her parents didn't even understand, scuffing the spurs he'd made for her boots along the floor as she fidgeted with unease. Her questions bubbled up quickly, but quieter than normal. Would she still get her tattoo when she was old enough? Or help Kinana and Mirajane in the kitchen?

In hapless hope, Gajeel had looked to Macao for him to challenge Makarov's decision as a former guild master.

That man had done what Makarov couldn't.

Half their guild had vanished and Macao Conbolt swallowed the panicked desperation he felt and _still_ lead his family and friends together in their absence. The situation hadn't been perfect and they hadn't prospered - _couldn't_ \- with the jerks that shook them down for every penny they had for protection they never got, but Macao didn't let his own grief hold the reigns of his decisions. He watched deep, heavy lines form around the man's mouth as Romeo reeled in absolute horror, the boy's entire life was built around that guild; not to mention the bond and adoration he had for Salamander.

It was too surreal to see the young teenager shake with desperation that was only too familiar to Gajeel. He didn't even have the courage to keep his eyes on the boy, he only lasted a few seconds before he had to look away to glare at something far beyond the guild's wall. It took all of his focus not to let his eyes fall on the one person that could barely stand in the wake of the news. He heard Levy's breath hitch beside him as she called her friend's name - more to herself than to get the celestial mage's attention. He peeked down at his partner from the corner of his eye right as she scrubbed a palm over her eye.

Hate was a dangerous word and feeling for him, in Phantom he used the word carelessly because he thought he had the _exact_ definition of it riddled into his bones and seeped into his blood.

Looking back, his old self didn't know what true _hate_ was. It wasn't what he felt for good guilds in comparison to his darker one or what he felt toward Metalicana in the wake of his disappearance. _This_ scorched his blood vessels and eroded his good sense and had his heart pulsing too fast and screeching to a halt all at once. And what made it all worse, was that there seemed to be no one that shared the sentiment toward their former guild master. The one person that would be even more reckless in his anger than Gajeel himself and had even a slim chance of changing Makarov's mind was _gone_ and most likely the straw that broke the camel's back in the decision to disband. He growled low in his throat, Natsu wasn't the only one torn to pieces or had lost someone in that battle.

 _Makarov_ hadn't been there when Tenrou disappeared off the face of Earthland and Macao stepped up and he wasn't there when Wendy watched her entire guild and family turn to dust. Hell, even Cheney and Eucliffe stuck together with their celestial mage to make an effort of keeping together the pieces of their guild that weren't wholly corrupt. They had the strength and courage Makarov obviously lacked.

They had something Gajeel was wholly, unapologetically, _viscerally_ jealous of.

And part of him wanted to hunt down the younger dragon slayer so he could drag Natsu back to town by the cuff of his damned scarf to confront Makarov with him for the havoc he caused. The other part of him wanted to let Natsu Dragneel know in no uncertain terms that if put one ridiculous sandaled foot back on the perimeters of town, he was going to be there and he for damn sure wouldn't be there with welcome arms and soothing words for his loss. He'd make everyone's pain apparent to Natsu - since he seemed all too oblivious to what his abrupt and cold actions did.

It all had eaten him up too much and just as he was about to put a hole in the living room wall, a gentle touch with the power to bring him to his knees curled around his elbow and carefully tugged.

Gajeel stopped dead in his tracks and whipped around to face her. He hadn't even _heard_ her come home with him, he'd left because he needed to vent away from all eyes and stop his heart from hammering his pulse through every fiber of his being, so it startled him to have Lily _not_ follow him and for _her_ to suddenly be there. His entire body heaved with the force of everything pitching around in his head, but she didn't miss a beat. Levy McGarden just tilted her head in that same caring matter that could make _anyone_ feel her entire focus on them - as if they were the only two people in the world - and furrowed her brow in concern.

"It's not his fault, you know."

Gajeel frowned, growling out his words, "I. _Know_."

She let go of his arm and sighed, the weight of so many things bowing her shoulders as she loosened the kerchief from her hair and distractedly raked her fingers through the tangles in her bangs. Her face seemed jaunt, as if the past hour had happened over the course of a month and it had slowly whittled away the healthy fullness of her face. Levy swallowed thickly and he took a deep breath through his nose, the exhale coming out forced and harsh in the silence of his house.

Gajeel scrubbed a hand over his face, moving it to rub at the back of his neck. "…I know. But this can't just be a coincidence. You can't tell me Natsu's departure _doesn't_ have a hand in this shit."

Levy moved to the couch, sitting down and leaning forward to wrap her arms around herself. She swallowed thickly and he felt a little more than bad for being so self-centered as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms and her breath shook. For once, she really did look as tiny as he kidded her to be. " _I know_. And I'm not saying it isn't. I'm not even saying I'm not a little peeved at Natsu myself nor am I saying I come even remotely _close_ to respecting Makarov's decision."

"A guild master's supposed to take care of their own. They do what they do based on what the guild needs as a whole, not what _they_ want."

Her eyes softened at that, her voice comforting when she spoke next. "Yes, that's true, but the fact remains that Natsu _isn't_ aware. If he had even a clue as to what happened, he wouldn't have left. Or, if he found out, he would have come back immediately. I get that you, Wendy, Sting, and Rogue lost your parents too, but there's no manual on how someone's supposed to grieve. Natsu's had to stay hopeful and pick up the pieces after losing someone important too many times. He only has so much steam to help keep everyone else going, Gajeel."

The dragon slayer crossed the room and sunk heavily into the couch, sourly glaring at his boots as he folded his arms. "Why can't ya let me be angry at anyone I please for once?"

Her chuckle was derisive and, truth be told, it unsettled him to hear the empty huff from her cut through the quiet. "Because I know _you_ and I know how angry I am too and if I let you rant unchecked, we're both just going to be even more miserable and exhausted." She pressed her mouth into a thin line and took a slow, deep breath. "…Fairy Tail's always been about looking forward anyways."

The dragon slayer pushed back into the couch cushions, snorting. "Yeah, well, there is no Fairy Tail anymore, so that's shot to hell. Don'tcha think?"

Levy furrowed her brows and looked at him. "Fairy Tail's more than a moniker plastered over an entry gate, Gajeel. It's never just been a physical place - it's a state of mind and emotion we carry with us."

He turned away and glared at the clock on the wall, focusing on the unnerving ticking of the second hand. "Then I've permanently checked out - physically, mentally, and emotionally. I'm sick of it."

She considered her words and tried to process whatever was going on in her partner's head as she studied him. Levy knew he was truly and rightfully angry, but she wasn't so obtuse that she didn't recognize the other emotions that jarred him. "It's okay to be mad-"

He snorted at that, "Thanks for the permission, Lev."

She swatted his arm. " _Hey_." She refused to speak again until he looked at her, she wasn't about to have this conversation with the back of his thick skull. The silent battle of wills took its toll and eventually, his shoulders drooped in defeat and she felt her own eyelids become heavy. He looked back enough for her to see another fraction of his face and she figured that was the most she was going to get out of him for the time being. "That's not what I meant. I'm tired and mad just like you, but I'm not going to wallow in it or blame the wrong person and you don't need to either.

"My point was that it's okay to be sad too. This happened and it's unfair, but we can't let it define or control the rest of our lives, we're not doing anyone any good by just sitting here."

Gajeel scrunched his nose, frustrated as he worked the next question out of his mouth. "So what, you wanna join a different guild or…?"

Levy shook her head vehemently, "No, that's not what I'm saying at all! I couldn't, I-"

The thought had her stomach souring and her heart stuck in her throat, the idea of erasing or replacing the tailed fairy on her back was out of the question - especially when Jet and Droy weren't with her. That guild mark was something they had worked hard for and when Levy was finally old enough to be on a team solely formed by her generation of mages, it felt like touching the stars. Her boys had allowed her to pick the placement and the colors and from then on white and orange together looked like victory and happiness no matter where she saw them. If she couldn't have the guild, she could still have that.

Levy propped her elbows on her knees and nervously carded her hands through her hair. "I don't think I could do that. Fairy Tail's all I've known and all I've ever been." A shudder wracked her slight frame - just as quick as it started and ended, there was a solid warmth splayed over her back.

Gajeel didn't immediately remove his hand when she had stilled, instead carefully moving his fingertips over the material of her dress in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He leaned forward to finally look at her fully and slowly shook his head. "No, yer not. You've always been a lot bigger n' more than a moniker plastered over a gate entryway."

A watery smile was his response. " _Now_ you decide to pay attention to what I say and quote it right back to me?"

He frowned, gently pressing and scratching under her shoulder blade. "I listen."

The script mage blinked, a few tears finding their way free and slipping down her cheeks to land in her lap. She reached over, moving for the dragon slayer's hand. Levy paused, looking from the small space still left between their hands to his eyes, searching for something to quell her hesitation and approve her actions. Relief washed over her when he quietly turned his palm up, curling his fingers over the back of her hand and resting both of their hands on his knee.

Her mouth quivered, not wanting to trust herself to speak without completely coming undone. Levy knew how much he hated theatrics with emotion, not to mention crying. She squeezed his hand and worked her mouth slowly around the words. "You always do."

He huffed, managing a shadow of a smirk to tilt the corner of his mouth up. "Yer pretty hard to hide things from." Gajeel flexed his fingers over the back of her hand. "We should probably find something to eat. You name it and I'll fix it." Gajeel moved to stand, slipping his hand out of hers.

Before he could blink, the script mage had latched onto his wrist with a death grip and _yanked_ him back down beside her.

"What about you?"

Gajeel searched her eyes, trying to grasp what she had asked him and frantically make sense of the desperation in her eyes. "What _about_ me?"

"I couldn't join another guild because yes, while it's the one I've only ever known, it's more about my boys not being here to weigh in on that decision. If they were here and they thought it was what we should do, then I'd seriously consider it, but I _can't_ remove that guild mark without them knowing. We made a pact way before I was eligible for joining a team and, while it did involve a few childish stipulations since we were so young, it's something I still take just as seriously now." She jerked his arm when recognition didn't flash in his eyes. "We were a team too, Gajeel. You and Lily were apart of Shadow Gear just as much as I was.

"But I don't want you to feel like you have to stay. If you want to find another guild o-or go with Wendy so you can continue her training that's fine too."

The dragon slayer swallowed, weighing his words before he spoke. Levy saw the way he tried to string his scattered thoughts together, no doubt completely lost on how to sort out all of the things she'd felt over the past year, but never outright spoke.. "I…I think I'm kinda burned out on guilds, y'know? And teams…" He held his hand up at the shadow of hurt that immediately haunted her eyes. He turned his arm in her hold, so he could gently wrap his hand around her wrist. "I mean, I want something where there's just _one_ team."

And everything he'd been feeling for the past year spilled out just as quickly and desperately.

"Don't get me wrong, it was kinda interestin' to play the backup muscle on different teams and the official reveal of Team B at the Games was somethin' I'll always revel in for the way everyone's jaws fell open. The novelty itself was any guild master's highest dream since it's not everyday you get to see an ex-member of Phantom Lord's Elemental four, The Demon, Gildarts Clives' daughter, and one of the founders of the guild's great-grandson - who is also one of _two_ dragon slayers - on a team. Laxus told us he caught one of his old man's tells for when he's nervous and pissed as hell. It'd been too long since I got to properly bug the hell outta Ivan Dreyar." Gajeel smirked, the one he sported in battle, and a little bit of the worry chipped away from Levy's shoulders.

"But it got old, y'know? Ya get pulled in every direction just for the thrill of insightin' fear in opponents."

She nodded her head, "I don't think I can really know what it's like for you, but I do know what it's like to be tired and tired of having conflicting mission schedules with your friends and family. Especially when the mission board's filled with bad news that means dangerous missions that can take up to a couple of weeks to complete." The script mage rubbed her temples and sighed. "You're in an out all of the time. I got benched once for being underweight."

Gajeel snorted, "You bein' a lightweight? _Get outta town_."

Levy smiled and scoffed, " _Ass_. I had started to burn more calories than I had time to consume."

He bit the inside of his cheek, doing a terrible job of hiding his amusement - which she doubted was even a genuine effort to begin with. "I gotta hear the rest of that one."

"N-now?! Gajeel, we're in the middle of a very heavy and _important_ conversation."

He shrugged, "I'm unemployed, I've got time."

"That's not funny," Levy monotoned.

"It's how I cope, this ain't new." He bit the inside of his cheek again when she pinned him with her disappointed, stern, mother hen frown. "We can work on my crude coping mechanisms another time, Shorty." He felt a little triumphant when the start of a grin cracked her serious mood. "Continue, I could use a laugh."

"And here I followed you home to make sure you were all right." She sighed and murmured a _'thank you'._ She wasn't dumb enough to admit just how funny she really did find him or how much she really appreciated the oddly timed humor, but Levy got the feeling he knew all the same. "Anyways, I got benched and put on a higher calorie diet during the times the guild was under an influx of missions. I had to take two weeks away from going on jobs with Jet and Droy for Mirajane to cook me everything in her repertoire to put the weight back on and kept it before I was turned loose on the mission board again."

Gajeel leaned back on the couch and laughed, full and loud. It was infectious and she couldn't help herself, she laughed too. There was something oddly comforting and intimate in the way she fell back, resting her head against his shoulder and curled herself into his side as she lost herself to a fit of giggles spurred from his own mirth at her expense. While he still couldn't quite cap the laughter that had him shaking, he kept his eyes open. Hers had fallen closed and he saw what tears she had left squeeze from between her long eyelashes and for once, he didn't panic at the sight of water works. He didn't like the vast sense of loss on what to do - it felt too much like staring down the dark road he used to walk on and left a pressure too great on his chest, but with her at his side and wielding that brilliant light he couldn't find replicated anywhere else, it wasn't so bad. Maybe stumbling around in the dark was their next big adventure, and he was strangely okay with it.

When her laughter had subsided and neither of them made to sit back up, he cleared his throat. "What do you think you wanna do?"

"I'm not sure. My magic skills are set to a pretty unique demand and not to mention my caliber could still use some serious work, so it's not like I can just pick up _anything_ somewhere. Believe it or not, there's not much of a need for a mage that can translate centuries old texts or letters." The script mage smiled to herself as she moved to rest her back against the armrest and settled a pillow over her lap. A giddy feeling crept over her - as if what she was going to say next was some candid secret that would ruin her if it was shared with everyone. "I've always kind of considered the idea of being a teacher, since I was a kid even. I don't have to be a teacher strictly for mages - or even a teacher, a librarian would be nice. Maybe run my own bookshop one day." Levy blinked, shaking her head and pressing her hand to her face. "Sorry, got caught up in my own thoughts."

Gajeel grimaced, shaking his head adamantly before meeting her gaze with a raw, unhindered emotion she didn't ever recall seeing him pin on her before. " _No_."

"N-no?" Her voice shook with an effort to decode the look in his eyes - one that lit the deep red with an inner fire and haunted them at the same time. "Gajeel, I have to do _something_. My savings will only go so far and it's not like I have people clawing at my door in need of a script mage from Fairy Ta-"

"Don't." He waved his hand as the intense gleam in his eye softened and sighed, "I mean, those are really solid options for you, but…You should join the Council."

" _What?"_ His words echoed harshly and bounced around in her battle-ridden mind and the edge of adrenaline that had just began to ebb away came back full force. Either the fight had knocked out her hearing or she had a concussion - there was no way she had heard him right. "I-I-I….Join the Council, Gajeel? I can't do that! It requires _decades_ of experience, never mind the fact that their location is _unknown_."

"You'd be able to find it and they'd be stupid not to let you join. The job's practically made for ya and maybe, one day, you can become a wizard saint. Yer somethin' they don't know they need yet."

"Wait, wait, wait. Gajeel, joining the Council isn't as easy as it sounds - the paper work and physical training is excruciating. And it's not like they've gone out of their way to be fair and just with guilds or mages they don't like on a personal level - Fairy Tail and the Magic Council mix as well as oil and water, if you recall."

"Which is why they'd need someone like you. You'd be a pretty strong argument against the guild just churning out mess and paperwork."

"Fine, then." She set her shoulders, her eyes narrowed in silent challenge as her mouth formed a firm line. "Only if you join the Council with me."

He snorted, "Yeah, that'd be great. I can see it now - walk into the place to get immediately put in handcuffs for being suspected of attackin' the joint, only to inform them I was there to apply for the exams. Shorty, there is a _very_ short list of things I haven't done and, unfortunately, it's recorded on a very lengthy stretch of parchment with every charge and arrest for the things I did do - which, if you're not keeping up with Fioran Law - is public record when people hire freelance mages for missions or any kinda labor." Gajeel swallowed, the corners of his mouth ticking down. " _Especially_ if yer working with or around kids."

Her other hand curled around their joined hands, brushing against his knuckles and squeezing. "People change, you're the textbook definition. And you were cleared to work with children - _multiple_ times."

"They need people that are good." He rolled his eyes, attempting to free his hand from her grasp.

She held fast, turning both of her hands to encircle his one. "You _are_ good."

"I'm halfway _decent_ if someone described me and was feelin' particularly nice that day." He raised his eyebrow at her and fidgeted under her attention. "An' I think you're considered a fairly biased party, Lev."

"You're right, I am a biased party. I'm one of the people that has every right to crush you with a bias - one that would have been furious, damning, and unforgiving." She saw panic flit across his features, he struggled daily to grasp how far they had come - as acquaintances, guild mates, and friends - and the few times they had talked about their past, the weight of sins nearly suffocated him as he pushed on to say the things he needed to. Levy jerked his arm to bring him closer. "…But I'm not the same person and _you're_ not the same person."

His shoulders fell slack and more of his stone wall crumbled for her. "I've still caused trouble."

"You weren't sentenced because Belno used her standing and pulled strings for you, she saw _then_ what I get to see _today_. We weren't able to get to her in time and you were never able to speak to her again, but I _know_ she knew you had changed. Remember all of the newspaper clippings she collected? She kept track of you from that arrest to the destruction of Phantom Lord to the announcement of the S-Class Trials to the Grand Magic Games. Every article was cut carefully from the papers and tucked into books as if they were keepsakes of a proud mother rather than a woman that had to handle a perpetrator she once had repay her with sass and an altogether awful attitude.

"Do it for her, Gajeel, and most importantly, do it for yourself."

" _Yer_ something else and so was that old bat." His gazed flicked over her as he shook his head absently. Gajeel swallowed thickly as he took her in - sitting there on his couch comfy as she could be with more scrapes and bruises than he'd seen on her in a long time and her wild, bright hair falling and framing and even sticking out in some places. She didn't look or move away, meeting his unabashed scrutiny headlong, and her eyes were lit with the light that had him staying at her side in any way he could.

"Go with me." Levy leaned forward in her seat, bringing their hands closer to her as she pressed forward. " _Please_."

"Levy, I don't want you to get yer hopes up. Someone like me, it's not easy rebuilding yerself - let alone convincing someone that they're safe near you. I paved this road and I have to walk it now, but you can't hold yerself back if I don't get in."

"Just…Promise me you'll genuinely try...Oh my gosh!" Something struck her, so viscerally she sat back and pressed her hand to her mouth in an emotion he was absolutely terrified to see on her. Gajeel has started to reach back for her when the words fell out all at once. "Fairy Tail is gone…that means Fairy Hills will close." A sob interrupted the rest of her words and he felt the vertigo of emotional whiplash rolling off of her in waves.

"Hey, _hey_." Gajeel gently pried her hand away from her mouth, circling his thumb over her wrist. " _Breathe_."

"Gajeel, I d-don't have the money for another _apartment_."

The dragon slayer blinked owlishly, the stress that had been pulled taught as a bow released and his laugh speared forward like an arrow without a mark. " _That's_ what you're worried about?"

"I can't stay there once they close the gui-"

He sighed, closing his eyes to shake his head. "I've got a spare, you'll move yer stuff here."

"Gajeel, I can't invade your house like that."

"Of all the shit that happened and you pick _this_ to be the one that's yer undoing." He fell back against the couch and crossed his arms behind his head as he grinned. "Look, if we join the Council, this will be easier. The house is paid for and there's no sense in you wastin' your money on a space you won't be staying in half of the time."

"You shouldn't be offering that to me, though. What about Wendy?"

"It sounds underhanded, but the hag and I had an agreement that if by some slim chance Makarov managed to completely screw things up more than he has in the past and everything went to shit, Wendy would be taken care of. Kid's had her world taken from her too many times and her senses tell her Porlyusica is Grandine, so she'd at least have _something_ similar to the comfort she really needs. Porlyusica ain't moving or changing for anybody any time soon and everything with me's up in the air. And I can't be hoverin' around guidin' every decision she makes. If she comes to me and says she needs help, it's gotta be on her grounds. Kid's gotta start navigatin' her own path."

Levy squinted her eyes up at him. "I don't like it when you're the more rational one of the two of us. Who are you and what have you done with Gajeel?"

" _Har, har._ Hilarious, Lev." He groaned when she still gave him such a skeptical look, but chose to ignore it and shrugged his shoulders. "Look, even if I don't make it into the Council, and you do, I want you to rest easy knowin' you've got a place for you to come back to during leaves. Yer not truly materialistic by any means, Levy, but losing everything is shit."

She watched as he caused himself to blush from his own words. The dragon slayer seemed adamant on keeping his eyes on the floor and that was okay, she could wait. Levy leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder, her forehead just brushing against the crook of his neck. It took her a moment to gather up her own courage to speak her next thought. "And…what about everything else?"

Gajeel nervously scratched the back of his head, but didn't move to replace himself or her. His brow furrowed in thought, a very strong part of him wanted to avoid this topic and all of the ground shaking facts that came with it and he was adamantly doing his best not to screw up the record they had for longest talk they've had without nonsense or burnt nerves or someone interrupting or worse - assume where he had zero rights to assume. He uncrossed his arms to lay one along the back of the couch as she situated even closer, practically molding herself to his side. "A lot's happened."

"Mhmm."

His fingers deftly found the longer waves of her hair, shifting through them and occasionally gently working to untangle a knot or two. "If we join the Council…there's fraternization laws."

She angled her head up to look at him and hummed in thought before speaking. "I was honestly just teasing you, I didn't think you'd actually _admit_ -"

His brows furrowed as he looked down at her, trying in vain not to notice how close her leg was to touching his or how she smelled faintly of perfume, but mostly of victory after battle. "Are we willing to do that though? We're gonna be sacrificing a lot. And there's no promise that we won't be working under different departments."

Levy bit her help. "I'm not sure I know how to be selfish. I-I just know I still want to do good…with you there."

"I wasn't gonna ignore it, you know that right?"

"Yeah." She tucked her chin into his chest and breathed, she'd almost forgotten to realize they were still _alive_ and in once piece until then.

He turned his face to ghost his nose over her temple. "Like I said before, If you want sympathy about feelin' silly for yer instinct, you're talking to the wrong person. It was a bad situation, ya don't really have the luxury of weighing options. But, uh, if we join the Council….it'll do harm in the long run if we talk it out now, gettin' our hopes up and all that."

Levy moved her head out from under his, lifting her hands to ghost over his jawline. Her fingertips rose over his cheeks and he felt the most violent _yank_ in his chest for something he never entertained the possibility of having, but it was there just the same, like her. "I-I agree, it's just…I want to get something out before I lose the courage and before we go willingly throwing ourselves into more dangerous situations. You have to _know_ -"

If it was the feeling of her entire universe catching in her throat and losing footing on ground that wasn't even there to begin with, he knew.

He stayed still as she rose up on her knees to press her forehead to his causing goose bumps to riddle his skin when her fingers brushed the piercings on his chin. Her breath was shaky when she exhaled and he finally responded. Gajeel was an impatient man by nature and he tried his damnedest to give her all of the time in the world, but the dip between the couch cushions became wider as she shifted her weight and he was too scared to let it get in the way - lest the rest of the world got between them again as she adjusted her balance.

The script mage hummed when he splayed his wide palm in the space just under her shoulder blade. If she hadn't been so preoccupied to take everything about _this_ and him in, she very well may have missed the way his fingers carefully brushed over a knot in her back. It was a domino effect she would always be thankful for as she negated sense and let instinct drive her actions once more. Her arm wound around his neck and her hand caught in the tangles of his hair. The stillness of her partner worried her, either he was graciously letting her tread waters neither of them knew much about or she had grossly misunderstood everything and ruined one of the most treasured things in her life.

"G-Gajeel?" Levy pulled away to sit back on her heels, the change in height making their noses brush. She didn't know whether to sob or cheer when his hand didn't move and he angled his neck to keep her hand nervously curling at the nape of his neck.

"Hm?" His eyes fell closed and she swore she could feel the rumble of it clear to her toes.

Levy rushed forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his neck and gladly anchored herself to the bane of her irritation and stress and the unlikely place she would find strength and happiness and loyalty. They had all nearly lost each other again and it tore her apart to know that she wouldn't have the chance to take on the world with _all_ of her boys if they walked different paths. Even if what she had to say was the most glaringly obvious fact, Jet and Droy knew and now he deserved to know too. Without the nerves that made her feel like a school girl with her first crush or fear of letting anyone else or force in Earthland take away another opportunity to let Gajeel Redfox know exactly where he stood with her.

Their past had been so tumultuous and she had wanted nothing more to do with him than a person would have with a distant relative at a family reunion. It couldn't be erased, no - but the man she kept safely in her arms and heart was to be tucked close. She rolled her fingers along his hairline and took a deep breath. "You're important to me - in no uncertain terms _how_ important. I don't care if this waits until we retire from the Council, whether you're my partner or friend or more or subordinate or captain, I want you by _my_ side. First and foremost."

Gajeel leaned back to gently take her face in his hands and brushed his thumbs over the tears that trailed over them. "Okay, _second_ and foremost, ya damn nerd - what're you gettin' so worked up about? I ain't dead yet. And, I believe you took my line - get yer own." The _yank_ in his chest wasn't so earth-shattering that time as she laid her hand over his and broke into one of the most watery laughs he'd ever heard.

"You mind my business a lot more than a little bit, just so ya know, and I don't exactly hate it and the idea of yer books takin' up more'n half the space isn't so bad in comparison to what could happen to this house. Who's ta say you won't be the captain? You'll probably be running the entire outfit in a week, shorty." He bit the inside of his cheek when her grin threatened to split her face and blind him from its brilliance.

His earlier senses be damned; true, they didn't really speak on everything that went down and it was technically more _show_ than tell. His hopes were raised and he didn't regret it one fucking bit - she was grinning and it felt like winning the Games all over again. His anger drifted farther and farther from his mind, insignificant in her presence as she was now. They would pull through.

The iron dragon slayer lowered his hand on her back, stroking lazy circles at her waist. "But yeah, in no uncertain terms, ditto."

* * *

 **A/N:** Well that got out of hand. This chapter obviously happens in the wake of Makarov's decision to disband the guild. Everyone is still battle worn and lost and nothing makes sense, so there is a lot of anger. It's prevalent as it's one of the things Gajeel knows how to feel and deal with in comparison to everything else he's trying to make heads or tails of. Adrenaline is still pumpin', so the initial lines of this story are fueled by irrational, biased anger. This will be the only chapter that deals with this issue as the series delves into Gajeel and Levy's term with the Council and how they and their dynamic changed and grew over a year.

I'm not sure where I came up with the 6k+ words to flesh this out, but I'm glad I had the chance and am, as always, grateful that so many people have supported and encouraged me to do so.


End file.
